CINEMA HALLS TO FINALLY OPEN IN MAHARASHTRA THIS FRIDAY!

The day is finally around the corner. Two days from now, on October 22, theatres will finally be allowed to resume operations in the crucial state of Maharashtra. We have spoken in this column about how the Maharashtra government has been quite unfair to the film industry. The state contributes nearly 30% of all India business. Hence, without Maharashtra, it was not practical to release a Hindi film. It was no surprise that only 3 major Bollywood films released post the second lockdown – Bellbottom, Chehre and Thalaivii. The first two announced the release dates with the hope that Maharashtra would open up by August 15.

What shocked many was that the cases have been declining steadily almost everywhere in Maharashtra since June. The same month, the government announced a very practical plan of starting theatres and other businesses in cities or districts with least positivity rate. As a result, cinema halls opened in some towns for a few weeks. But this plan was taken back after fears of Delta Plus. Meanwhile, from July onwards, theatres were allowed to open in several states. By mid-August, except for Maharashtra, Kerala and some minor states, cinemas were operational all over the country.

The industry sadly was too scared to openly speak about their anger. Nevertheless, they continued having meetings with the government. Finally, on September 25, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray agreed to open cinemas but from October 22. The industry was overjoyed. However, a few wondered why can’t the theatres start immediately. Also, there were fears that the government might push this date if the cases increase due to the festivals. Moreover, cinema hall owners were also worried that if the government doesn’t allow shows at night, then it can affect the business. The last bit worried the producers too.

But fortunately, the cases reduced instead of increasing. The government didn’t play any mischief and cinemas are opening on October 22 as scheduled. And earlier this week, it allowed restaurants to operate till 12 midnight and shops and malls till 11:00 pm. This made it clear that there’ll be no night curfew and that theatres can play night shows.

Since cinema halls were open in other states, a lot of Hollywood films were released and some of them even did well. Most of these films would make it to cinemas in Maharashtra from October 22. These include Venom: Let There Be Carnage, No Time To Die, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Free Guy and Jungle Cruise. Bellbottom, Chehre, Thalaivii and a small Hindi film starring Faisal Khan, Faactory, will arrive in cinemas too. Then regional films like Doctor (Tamil), Love Story (Telugu), Honsla Rakh (Punjabi) and Qismat 2 (Punjabi) would be screened in select multiplexes.

Two Hindi films would release tomorrow across India, and also in Maharashtra. One is Bhavai, starring Scam 1992 star Pratik Gandhi. It was earlier titled Raavan Leela but its title was changed due to protests. Despite this controversy and Pratik Gandhi’s presence, there’s no excitement. The other Hindi film is Babloo Bachelor, starring Sharman Joshi and Pooja Chopra. Its trailer was poor and it’ll sink without a trace.

Finally, two Hollywood films are also arriving in cinemas tomorrow. While The Last Duel would release across India, the much awaited film Dune would release everywhere except Maharashtra. This is because it won’t get sufficient IMAX and 4DX screens in the state as these screens will be taken over by films like Venom: Let There Be Carnage, No Time To Die and Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. Hence, Dune will be available in Maharashtra from October 29.

Hence, as one can see, there are plenty of options for cinemagoers from tomorrow. Most of the films sadly won’t get sufficient footfalls but a lot of hope is riding on Venom: Let There Be Carnage as it released just last week elsewhere and did great business.

FLOW OF HINDI RELEASES STOPS ONCE AGAIN; HOLLYWOOD AND REGIONAL CINEMA TO DOMINATE

The Akshay Kumar-starrer Bellbottom was released in cinemas on August 19 and it was the first Hindi film since April 2021 to arrive on the big screen. Its release date was announced when cinemas are opening up in many states. It was assumed that the crucial state of Maharashtra, which contributes 30% of the revenue, would also open up by August 19. Sadly, it didn’t and it affected Bellbottom’s performance. Chehre arrived next, on August 26 and it was also released with the idea that Maharashtra would have opened up by then. Finally came Thalaivii on September 10. Its release was planned at a time when it became clear that Maharashtra is not opening up. Yet, the Kangana Ranaut starrer released since it is also releasing in Tamil version and the state of Tamil Nadu has allowed theatres to resume operation.

Sadly, all three films have flopped at the box office. Bellbottom was expected to collect at least Rs. 50-60 crore but its lifetime will now be around Rs. 30 crore. Chehre won’t be able to even cross the Rs. 5 crore mark while Thalaivii won’t go beyond Rs. 7-8 crore. The word of mouth of all three films was positive but these films were not properly marketed. Also, audiences were not excited to see it.

On the other hand, a Hollywood film, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, had a surprise opening and is about to reach the Rs. 30 crore lifetime. The two Punjabi films, Puaada and Chal Mera Putt 2, have done extraordinary business. However, the industry has chosen to ignore this part. They have focused only on the dismal performance of the three Hindi films and have decided to not release any major film till Maharashtra is open.

As a result, for the next three weeks at least, no significant Hindi film is releasing on the big screen. The Hollywood films and regional films will now dominate cinemas for a while. Tomorrow, three Hollywood films will release – Free Guy, Don’t Breathe 2 and Old. The first two has a slight chance of pulling audiences. Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings will continue to dominate the business in the coming week too. The next week will see the release of Qismat 2, the sequel of a super-hit Punjabi film Qismat, and the Hollywood entertainer, Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson. Finally, on September 30, the James Bond film, No Time To Die, will finally arrive in cinemas and its expected to do huge business in India.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is a fun-filled entertainer and an apt Marvel flick. The film starts on a fascinating note. The fight scene between Shang Chi’s parents sets the mood. The humour quotient comes out very well and sets the interest going. The way the makers reveal the flashback little by little keeps viewers intrigued and curious about the back story. Also, the way Chinese culture (with a dash of fantasy) has been celebrated and displayed gives a nice touch. The climax is nail biting and enjoyable. On the flipside, the motive of a particular character to go all out is not very convincing. The climax fight is mounted on an epic scale. But sadly, it gives a been-there-done-that kind of a vibe, since we have seen more than 20 Marvel films and so many of them have had such fights. Speaking of performances, Simu Liu is subtle yet powerful in the lead role. Awkwafina is one of the best things about the film. A complete riot! Meng'er Zhang is superb as the badass. Tony Leung has a terrific screen presence and is apt for the part. Fala Chen is lovely in the cameo while Michelle Yeoh leaves a tremendous mark. Ben Kingsley is a big surprise and is adorable. The mid and end credit scenes set the excitement for the upcoming films. All in all, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings is a must watch for all Marvel and superhero films. It releases in India ONLY IN CINEMAS and that too at the same time as in the USA and other markets. Go for it!

My rating - **** out of 5!

MAHARASHTRA FAILS TO OPEN; 2 HOLLYWOOD FILMS TO TRY THEIR LUCK THIS WEEK!

The crucial state of Maharashtra contributes around 30% of the business. Until the time it doesn’t open, the business is going to be affected. Yet, plenty of Hollywood films were released in cinemas from July 30. Even 2 major Hindi films, Bellbottom and Chehre, also made it to cinemas. The release of these 2 movies, however, was planned with the idea that Maharashtra would open by August 15. When it didn’t, it was too late to pull back and the films did release. As expected, both films didn’t do that well. Till Monday, August 30, Bellbottom had collected Rs. 24 crores while Chehre had earned Rs 2.25 crores.

With cinemas not opening on August 15, everyone hoped that they’ll be allowed to reopen from September 1 for sure. But shockingly, that hasn’t happened either. The industry too is silent for some strange reason. The trade is moving on and now looking forward to the release of 2 big Hollywood films this week. The first one is Fast & Furious 9. It is a part of a popular franchise that has a fan following even among those who watch films in dubbed languages. It was released in the USA and most markets on June 25. That couldn’t happen here as the theatres were shut almost everywhere in India. The initial release date was August 5. It was then pushed to August 19. Sadly, Bellbottom also got scheduled to release on the same day. There would have been a problem of getting sufficient screens. Hence, Universal Pictures shifted the date to September 3. Last weekend, they announced that they’ll arrive a day earlier, that is, September 2.

The earlier Fast & Furious films have done phenomenal business in India and have even opened well. But Fast & Furious 9 might not be huge as it’s a delayed release. Moreover, ever since it was released on digital on July 30 in many markets, high-quality pirated prints have flooded the internet. Hence, many have already seen it. But a section of trade feels that a film like Fast & Furious 9 is made for the big screen. Hence, viewers would throng to watch it. The opening would be in the range of Rs. 1-2 crores. It also has an outside chance of crossing Bellbottom’s day 1 collection of Rs. 2.75 crores since it releases in multiple languages.

The other release of the week is Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings. It belongs to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and releases in India on September 3, on the same day as the USA and many other territories. Also, unlike the recent Disney and Marvel films, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings won’t arrive simultaneously on Disney+. As a result, there won’t be a fear of piracy. Audiences would have no choice but to go to cinemas to enjoy the film in all its glory. The worldwide box office would be huge but in India, there's very little awareness. The dubbed audience crowd are not aware that this film belongs to the same universe as that of Iron Man, Spider-Man etc. Hence, they might skip. However, there are reports that it has gotten a great advance in many centres. Hence, it can spring a surprise.